REAL THINGS ★★★★☆
Directed by Harry Wootliff. With Ruth Wilson, Tom Burke, Hayley Squires. 16 cert, limited release, 102 min
Staid Kate (Wilson) and the dangerous Blond (Burke) embark on a chilling affair. Kate’s carnality, even when recorded by PJ Harvey, exists on a crevice of romantic rooting and dismay. Several scenes will leave the viewer screaming at the heroine as if descending into the cursed basement of a horror movie. “Don’t give him your car keys!” Wilson and Burke’s expert performances ensure that one will root equally and perversely for their insane relationship to the bitter end. Confirms Wootliff, director of the infertility romance Only You, as a must-have talent. Full review TB
MORBIUS ★★☆☆☆
Directed by Daniel Espinosa. With Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, Tyrese Gibson. 15A cert, gen version, 104 mins
Jared Leto in Morbius
“We have to push the limits,” chuckles the scientist who looks like a street magician. “We have to take risks.” Yeah, it still works for the mad scientist. Leto plays a sick man who becomes a vampire in the latest of Sony’s movies made from the pieces of the Spider-Man universe that fell out of Spidey’s suitcase when he ran away from home to become Tom Holland . Feels cut from a more lucid, but almost certainly more boring first cut. We need more Matt (camp panto) and less Leto (absurdly straight). Full review CC
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 ★★☆☆☆
Directed by Jeff Fowler. With James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, the voices of Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba. PG certificate, gen version, 123 min
sonic the hedgehog 2
One would reasonably imagine that with all the current problems in the world, no one would be malicious enough to throw a second Sonic the Hedgehog movie at us unsuspecting masses. And yet here we are. The actors are poorly served by a script that doesn’t care about finding your moment or anything like that. Can’t a hedgehog go in search of an emerald magic master without these constant harangues? Couldn’t we have a Sonic movie that doesn’t feature the phrase “I love you, Sonic”? Even worse is the runtime. Isn’t Sonic supposed to be fast? Full review TB
THE VILLAINS ★★☆☆☆
Directed by Pierre Perifel. Voice of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Lilly Singh. G cert, gen version, 101 min
The villains
The “bad” animals – Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mrs. Tarantula and so on – in a universe where anthropomorphic creatures coexist with humans strive to lead lives of their own. This relentlessly animated adaptation of an Australian graphic novel begins with a tribute to the restaurant scene in Goodfellas and a twist on an old joke. Neither works particularly well, but at least you sense the filmmakers have a goal in mind. The animation then slips into a dull quagmire of badass cliches. The one redeeming feature is Ayoade’s voice as an insufferably self-righteous guinea pig. Full review CC
